History

Novels, Society and History

Question:

Who was Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer? Mention some features of his writing. [CBSE Sept. 2012]

Answer:

Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer (1908-96) was one of the early Muslim writers to gain a wide popularity as a novelist in Malayalam.Basheer had little formal education. Most of his works were based on his own rich personal experience rather than on books from the past. When he was in class five at school, Basheer left home to take part in the Salt Satyagraha. Later, he spent years wandering in different parts of India, and travelling even to Arabia, working in a ship, living with sufis and Hindu sanyasis, and training as a wrestler. Basheer’s short novels and stories were written in the ordinary language of conversation. With wonderful humour, Basheer’s novels spoke about details from the everyday life of Muslim households. He also brought into the Malayalam writing themes which were considered very unusual at that time – poverty, insanity and life in prisons.

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Novels, Society and History

Q 1.

Name a novel which is about a secret Hindu militia that fights Muslims to establish a Hindu Kingdom. It was a novel that inspired many kinds of freedom fighters. ‘

Q 2.

Write about the early Bengali novels.

Q 3.

Describe the reasons of the popularity of novels among the women. [CBSE 2013, 2014]

Q 4.

Write a note on:
a) The Oriya novel
b) Jane Austen's portrayal of women
c) The picture of the new middle class which the novel Pariksha-Guru portrays.

Q 5.

Describe how the issue of caste was included in novels in India. By referring to any two novels, discuss the ways in which they tried to make readers think about existing social issues.

Q 6.

Who was Charlotte Bronte ? How has she presented the picture of a woman in her novels ?
Or
Describe the depiction of women in the novels of Charlotte Bronte. [CBSE 2013]
Or
In which way was women depicted in Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre'? [CBSE 2011]

Q 7.

Describe the ways in which the novels in India attempted to create a sense of pan- Indian belonging.

Q 8.

Who was the English author who showed the darker side of colonialism in his novels ? [CBSE. Sept.2011]

Q 9.

Explain the meaning of Jatra', Kabirlarai and Bhadralok. [CBSE 2013]

Q 10.

How did the vernacular novels help Britishers to expand their rule in India ?

Q 11.

Which was the first modem novel in Malayalam? When was it published ?

Q 12.

The novel revolves around Surdas who is visually impaired and belongs to an untouchable caste. Identify the novel.

Q 13.

Which of the following novel was written by Potheri Kunjambu and deals with the caste oppression ? [CBSE. Sept. 2011,12]

Q 14.

Discuss some of the social changes in nineteenth-century Britain which Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens wrote about.

Q 15.

Name any three novels by Premchand.

Q 16.

Write a short note on novels for the young.

Q 17.

How were the modem Indian novels useful for the Indians in day to day life. [CBSE 2013]
Or
"Indian novelists used the novel as a powerful medium to criticize the defects of the society."Justify the statement with the suitable examples. [CBSE 2013]
Or
Explain any three reasons for making the novel popular in India. [CBSE 2014]

Q 18.

Explain how the writings of Munshi Premchand promoted the sense of nationalism among the Indians.
Or
How did the novels of Munshi Premchand promote the feeling of nationalism ? Explain. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Q 19.

Mention any three features of Pickwick Papers.

Q 20.

What was impact of serialisation of a novel ?

Q 21.

Who was the author of Pickwick Papers which was serialised in 1836 ? [CBSE 2014]

Q 22.

Name any two most important novels written by Charles Dickens. What was the theme of the novels ?

Q 23.

How was the sources of entertainment of the old merchant elite of Calcutta different from the new bhadralok ?

Q 24.

Name any two novels written by Munshi Premchand. [CBSE 2014]

Q 25.

Which was the first novel of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay ?

Q 26.

Which social issues were included in the novels in India? Explain by giving examples. [CBSE 2014]
Or
Novels helped in creating a sense of social awareness in India.' Explain. [CBSE 2012]

Q 27.

What were the favourite themes to women novelists in India? Explain giving any three examples. [CBSE 2012]

Q 28.

Discuss some of the social changes in the nineteenth century Britain which Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens wrote about.

Q 29.

Summarise the concern in both nineteenth- century Europe and India about women reading novels. What does this suggest about how women were viewed ?

Q 30.

Describe how the issue of caste was included in novels in India. By referring to any two novels, discuss the ways in which  they tried to make readers think about the existing social issues.

Q 31.

What is Epistolary?

Q 32.

What is a satire?

Q 33.

Write about Thomas Hardy's Mayor of Caster Bridge.

Q 34.

How did serialisation of novels increase the popularity of novels and magazines ? [CBSE 2012]

Q 35.

"Novels were useful to different sectors of the society."Support your answer with suitable examples.
Or
Highlight any three contributions of novel to modern society. [CBSE 2014]

Q 36.

How did novel become a popular medium of entertainment among the middle class in India? Explain. [CBSE 2012]

Q 37.

How did Charles Dickens focus on the life of the industrial workers and the terrible conditions of urban life in his novels ? Explain with examples. [CBSE 2008 (O)]
Or
Explain the themes and issues of the . novels of Charles Dickens with examples. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Elaborate upon the contribution of Charles Dickens in the field of novel writing.  [CBSE-2012]
Or
Novels of Charles Dickens deal with which changes of the 19th century Britain ? Mention any three such changes. [CBSE-2013]
Or
Which type of problems were highlighted by the novelist, Charles Dickens through his novel? Explain from any of his two novels. [CBSE-2013]
Or
Explain any three aspects highlighted by Charles Dickens in his novel "Hard Times". [CBSE-2012]

Q 38.

Who was Jane Austen ? How do her novels give us a glimpse of the world of women in the general rural society in the early 19th century Britain ?
Or
How did Jane Austen portray the women of 19th century in her novel ? [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2012]

Q 39.

Who was Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer? Mention some features of his writing. [CBSE Sept. 2012]

Q 40.

What were the issues raised by the novel Indulekha written in Malayalam ? [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
What led Chandu Menon to write Indulekha ? [CBSE Sept. 2011,2014]

Q 41.

What are major differences between a novel and a manuscript ?

Q 42.

Who is the writer of the Novel Germinal ? What was the theme of the novel ?

Q 43.

Who was Leo Tolstoy?

Q 44.

Which novel supplied the adventurous text for the young English population ? [CBSE 2014]

Q 45.

Name the novelist who showed the darker ‘ side of colonial occupation.

Q 46.

In many novels written during the colonial period, the ideal person successfully deals with one of the central dilemmas faced by colonial subject'. What was the dilemma ?

Q 47.

Why the novel Pariksha Guru could not win many readers ?

Q 48.

Which was the first proper modem novel in Hindi ? What was its theme ?

Q 49.

Who was the Hindi novelist whose writing took the Hindi novels to excellence ?

Q 50.

What is satire ? Give one example. [CBSE 2014]